


diplomacy on earth and in space

by shakespearespaz



Category: Lost in Space (TV 2018), Madam Secretary
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Female Friendship, Game Night, Gen, Post Season 4, featuring Elizabeth's need to be fun, for the Robinsons at least, i am very rusty it's been like two years since any fanfic so cut me some slack, i don't know how old any of the children are so i apologize, like i think the robinsons are younger but act older
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-07-15
Packaged: 2019-06-10 16:50:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15295881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shakespearespaz/pseuds/shakespearespaz
Summary: The McCords have the Robinsons over for game night. DC nerd family meets space nerd family. Mostly focused on Maureen and Elizabeth being friends because that's where my interests lie.





	diplomacy on earth and in space

“Thanks for coming in, Dr. Robinson.” Elizabeth stood and reached across the desk.

Maureen accepted the Secretary’s outstretched hand. “Please, call me Maureen.”

They took a seat together.

“Well, Maureen, it’s not often I actually get to meet NASA scientists. Usually it’s a bureaucrat in a suit, avoiding my technical questions—not that I usually know what the answers mean anyway—” Elizabeth took a breath. “What I mean is that it’s nice to finally meet you after seeing your name on many reports.”

Maureen smiled back. “Same. And I’m glad it was finally my turn to come up here, because we need your help. How much do you know about my particular project?”

Elizabeth leaned back. “Well, given its scope and ambition, it comes across my desk somewhat often. You’re looking at the long term feasibility of—and excuse me if my phrasing is more science fiction than fact—space colonies?”

Maureen nodded. She’d dealt with doubt before, and knew how to push through people’s immediate reactions. “It’s not as far off as people might think. Given the uncertainty of this planet—climate change, potential of nuclear wars—”

“Trust me, I’m well aware of the many apocalyptic possibilities we face.”

Maureen shifted in her seat, plowing forward. “Many people, myself included, are tackling different angles—locating potential planets and sites, identifying and developing emergent technology. We’ve done so much. But space doesn’t belong to the US. And it’s not something we can hope to achieve or would even want to achieve on our own. And that’s where the State Department comes in.”

Elizabeth studied the woman perched before her.

Sensing her hesitation, Maureen continued. “It’s such a long term investment, I know. But if we could get even a few other space programs to help—ESA is already pretty helpful, but a more integrated program would allow us to truly collaborate. I’ve been in contact with some Russian colleagues, and they have some promising results with energy technology for long term space flights, that if we could openly share…”

Elizabeth was still quiet as Maureen trailed off, different pieces trying to click into place as she processed what the scientist was saying.

“I know that none of this would be easy. I do watch the news, and I know what sentiments are across the board towards Russia. But I think about my kids. I want to build a program that might not be headline making today, but could potentially give our kids a future. And the Dalton administration—well, you specifically—may be the best opportunity to pull this off in the next decade.”

Maureen took a breath and watched the Secretary’s scowl. She did the same when she was thinking, but honestly Maureen didn’t know where the Secretary would land. Maureen wasn’t great at making speeches, but she knew her facts and knew her reasoning and could only trust in both.

Finally, Elizabeth spoke.

“You know, Maureen. I _really_ like this. I don’t—I don’t know enough to imagine space travel as concretely as you do. But you see it. And you’re right, nothing is easy internationally right now. But people—” Elizabeth let about half a grin break across her face. “People love space. And I truly believe that scientific collaborations make all of us better.”

Maureen felt like she could breathe again. Elizabeth stood and Maureen followed.

“This won’t be easy. I’m not promising anything. But get me list of who and what, and I’ll see what we can do.”

“Thank you, Madam Secretary.” Maureen couldn’t control her smile.

“Please, Elizabeth.”

“Thank you, Elizabeth.”

Maureen turned to go.

“Wait, Maureen.” Elizabeth maneuvered from behind her desk, as Maureen turned back to her.

“You mentioned your kids. How many?”

“Oh, um, three. Two girls and a boy—my youngest.”

Elizabeth smiled. “Huh. Same. How about that.”

“They’re, uh, so smart.”

“Right?” Elizabeth agreed, “They give me so much hope.” She made a face. “Ugh, now I’m being sappy. And I’m probably keeping you.”

“You’re fine. Thank you again, for everything.”

Not long after Maureen left, Kat was at the door.

“Was that the woman from NASA?”

“Uh, yes.”

“So what, we’re building a colony on the moon?” Kat joked.

“Actually, we’re building a colony on the moon with Russia.”

\--

Elizabeth flexed her feet in Henry’s lap, the television on but muted in the background.

“So naturally, Russell yelled at me for even taking the meeting with circumstances with Russia like they are, but—”

“But luckily Conrad still shares your optimistic streak for even the zaniest of ideas?” Henry finished for her.

“That, and the optics on space stuff is always good. So that’s why your wife is now responsible for laying the diplomatic groundwork for space colonies.”

“Hey, it is a pretty unique thing to have on your resume.”

“Well, I think it’s cool,” Jason added loudly from the kitchen.

Elizabeth mouthed at Henry: “He thinks it’s cool!?”

Jason joined them in the family room.

“Yeah, when we eventually engulf the world in a nuclear winter thanks to terrible decisions made by the few on behalf of the many, we need somewhere to go.”

“Glad to see you have faith in your mother’s day job, buddy.”

Another McCord child thundered down the stairs.

“Hey, is that Ali?” Elizabeth asked, twisted around.

“Yes,” responded the disinterested voice from near the fridge.

“I was looking more into the woman from NASA I met with—Maureen. And get this, her daughter was in your grade in high school, Ali. Did you know her?”

“Who? I need details, mom.”

“Robinson is the last name.”

Alison came into the living room. “You mean Penny?”

“Yes! That’s it! You do know her.”

Alison sighed loudly and leaned against the couch.

“What, noodle?” prompted Henry.

Alison rolled her eyes in disbelief. “Penny’s like my best friend. Not that you guys would’ve known that.”

“Hey, you’ve never mentioned her before,” Henry said.

“Also, your best friend changes weekly,” Jason prodded.

“Hey,” Elizabeth scolded Jason, before turning back to Alison. “Well, her mother works for NASA, why didn’t you mention that?”

“Because everyone’s parents work for the government in this town—”

“—fair—” Henry and Elizabeth said simultaneously.

“—and because we bonded over _this_. Our nerdy, uptight, over-achieving families that need to learn to have some fun.”

Elizabeth was on her feet. “Hey, we can be fun!”

“No, mom, not again—”

“That’s it,” she declared, engulfing a groaning Alison in a hug, “We are having the Robinsons over for dinner and—and board games!”

She turned to Henry.

“Board games are fun, right?”

\--

The phone rang—their version of a doorbell thanks to the security detail—at around 7pm. It was a miserable evening, with sleet threatening to give way to freezing rain or even snow.

Elizabeth had just gotten home, but was not to be stopped.

“Why aren’t the board games out on the table?” she asked, stealing a taste out of the pot that simmered on the stove.

“Jason, that was your job,” Alison yelled as she rounded the end of the stairs.

Henry corralled Elizabeth upstairs. “I’ve got dinner. You go change.”

Stevie was next down the front stairs. “I’ve got the door.”

“And thank you all of you for looking decent _and_ cleaning the house!” Elizabeth shouted from the top of the stairs, “Making us look like actual humans…” She faded out as she went into the bedroom.

Stevie was at the front door, swinging it open. The five Robinsons shuffled in, ditching their winter gear.

“Hey! I’m Stephanie—Stevie—”

John reached out to shake her hand. “John Robinson.”

After stripping off her wet jacket, Maureen gave Stevie a quick hug. “I’m Maureen. This is Will, Judy, and—”

“Penny!” Alison hurried over to give her friend a hug.

“Oh my god,” Penny said to her, looking at the McCords, “It’s like someone cloned us.”

“I know, right.”

Elizabeth’s voice sounded from the stairs, down to the living room and foyer. “Welcome! Welcome!” She hurried down the stairs, greeted John and Maureen and ushered them into the kitchen with Henry.

“Everyone, this is Henry. My husband, and our chef for the evening.”

“It’s nothing fancy,” he said, “Just some chili.”

“Hey, it’s not take-out," John responded, "which is usually on the menu in our house."

Henry chuckled. “Woody’s Thai or Downtown Thai?”

“Well, that’s a matter of debate actually.”

And indeed, a debate did ensue, with passionate voices echoing off the walls of the McCord home, the ice officially broken. 

“Elizabeth, this is such a great idea,” Maureen slid in next to her in the crowded kitchen, “Thank you for inviting us.”

“No, thank you. We never get to have people over. Well, ones that we actually _like_ —”

Maureen turned to her, “Well, you haven’t played Catan with us yet. You may ban us from your house after that.”

“Oh, do not worry. You will be well matched.”

Elizabeth watched Henry and John chatting as Henry stirred the chili. Jason, Ali, and Penny loudly discussed a meme on Ali’s phone, and Stevie, Judy and Will looked at the artifacts and art on the shelves in the family room. For the first time in a while, she felt relaxed in a crowded room. No agenda, no petty squabbles.

This started to feel like it could be a really good thing.  

\--

“There are too many of us,” Stevie pointed out, “for the castle-slash-Knights of the Round Table game that's like Catan but not.”

“We’ll do teams then,” Elizabeth suggested.

“I claim Penny,” Alison linked arms with her friend, and they leaned into each other.

John shrugged, “Henry and I make a good team.”

“Well,” Judy said, “Since we’re choosing our counterparts, Stevie and I are ready for battle.”

“Should we, um, play something a little easier?” Jason glanced at Will briefly.

“Don’t worry, Jace, he’s smarter than you,” Alison contributed.

“I’ve played this before,” Will said, “I know some strategies.”

“Okay, Penny-Ali, Henry-John, Judy-Stevie, and Will-Jace,” Elizabeth said.

“That leaves Elizabeth and I,” Maureen finished.

“Uh-oh,” Stevie said.

“What is it?” Elizabeth asked.

“Yeah, we’ve messed up,” Alison added.

“What?” Maureen asked.

“This game’s all about forming alliances and building stuff,” Penny said.

“And we’ve let the Secretary of State and the rocket scientist team up.”

Elizabeth scoffed. “Oh, it’s just a game. It’s not like what we actually do.”

“You’ll be fine,” Maureen added.

“You just better prepare to lose,” Elizabeth added, “Badly.” They scooted their chairs up to the table in unison.

The McCords and Robinsons proceeded to play, building up their castles, making money, and trading weapons and livestock. John and Henry were in the lead for a bit, before Stevie and Judy overtook them. The rounds were quickly drawing to a close, with only few moves left.

“I will give you two sheep for the catapult,” John said slowly.

“I will raise you three sheep for it,” Stevie said quickly.

Maureen and Elizabeth made eye contact.

“Well, now that we know you both want the catapult,” Elizabeth said, “You’re going to need to offer a lot more. You showed your hand.”

“You two already have so much money!” Penny pointed out.

“That’s because we know the value of our exports,” Elizabeth said.

“Fine, six sheep,” John said, “We’ll give you six sheep for it.”

“Six!? We’re out,” Judy folded, as Stevie shook her head.

“Alright…” Elizabeth prepared to finish the deal.

“Wait,” Maureen interrupted, “I don’t think we should sell the catapult.”

“Maureen, _six_ sheep!”

“I know, I know, but let me do the math.” She nodded. “Yeah, yeah. I have a better plan.”

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

“Okay, I’m trusting you. Catapult no longer for sale.”

Another round passed.

“Alright, Maureen. You’re up,” John said, as they moved their troops and cows into their final position.

“It’s the last turn,” Penny said, “Prepare to all lose horribly to my mom.”  

“Here we go.” Maureen took a breath. “Harvest time, take in our grain supplies, cash half that, give half to get three more sheep. Buy the Sorcerer’s Hat—which you fools have let sit there for three rounds—from the store. Use Lance of Power to put not three, but five troops on the board. And then with the extra turn granted by the Sorcerer’s Hat, move the troops into _your_ territory, _your_ territory, and finally _your_ territory, and because we have the catapult that wall is does nothing. Adding that all up it should be nine Round Table Victory points. Oh, and an additional one because we have three sheep in a region with a farm. Which fills up our pie completely and—”

“And that’s how it’s done!” Elizabeth let out a cheer, pulling Maureen into a hug.

Henry shook his head and threw his cards on the table.

“Alright, alright, you guys,” Jason said, “It’s not like you were the underdogs in that one.”

“Okay, but you gotta admit, we make a pretty strong team,” Elizabeth said, her arm still around Maureen.

“Well,” Alison said, as she and Penny moved to put the board away, “Since you’ll be on this high for a while, can Penny stay over?”

Elizabeth and Henry looked at each other, as Maureen and John did the same.

“It’s fine by me,” Maureen said, “If the McCords are alright with it.”

Henry nodded, “Sure, it’s a Saturday night.”

“Yes!” Penny celebrated, as she and Alison finished putting the game away and headed upstairs.

Will let out a yawn.

“For us, it’s best we got going,” John said, standing, “Before the weather gets any worse.”

“I hope it’s safe enough to drive home,” Elizabeth said with concern.

Maureen stood and headed towards the window. “Last I saw we had a cold front moving in, which should mean it’s transitioning to snow instead of freezing rain.”

John watched her study the world outside the window, a smile creeping onto his face.

Maureen turned back. “Light, fluffy snow now, just as expected.”

“Will and I will go get our coats on,” Judy responded.

Will thanked Henry and Elizabeth through his exhaustion, as Judy helped him towards the foyer. Stevie followed, with Jason escaping upstairs.

“I hope it’s alright that Penny’s staying, especially with the weather like this,” John said.

“Oh, no worries. Have you seen my motorcade?” Elizabeth explained, “We’ll be able to get her home no matter what.”

“Here, I’ll walk you to the door,” Henry offered. He and John sauntered through the kitchen.

“Thanks for inviting us.” John said, “Your family is wonderful.”

“As is yours.”

“I—We don’t do this as often as we should. Be together, as a family. I’m often away, on assignment. ”

Henry understood. “You know, Elizabeth and I have had times we’ve been apart—with the Marines and CIA…”

“How do you do it?” John stopped to face him in the living room, seeing a commonality that perhaps they could both learn from. “When you don’t want to miss a moment, but feel a responsibility to something larger out there.”

“I honestly don’t know. Fight to find a balance. Fight for them. Don’t assume that they’ll always be there, exactly how you left them.”

John smiled gently, and something he’d been processing for a long time shifted confidently into place.

“Thank you, Henry. Truly. I hope we can see each other again soon.”

“Me too.”

John gave him a brief hug before returning to the kids waiting in the entrance hall. Elizabeth and Maureen joined them. Four of the five Robinsons shuffled out into the streets brushed with white, climbing into a banged up Prius. Elizabeth, Henry and Stevie waved from the porch in the cold, as their newly found friends drove away.

With Ali and Penny close at hand upstairs, Henry’s arms wrapped around her, and the sweet scent of new snow in the air, Elizabeth felt contented in that all-consuming way that would last as long as the moment lasted, and not a second longer.

\--

Maureen erased the entire half of the whiteboard with her sleeve. This was not working. She took a breath and started writing. A knock interrupted her. She finished the branch of the diagram she was scribbling, and then turned.

“Elizabeth!”

There the Secretary of State stood in the doorway, flanked by her detail, coat in hand.

“I’m sorry to barge in, I just…I just was going to take lunch. And Henry was busy, and the kids are all over the place, and the staff are lovely but cannot stop talking about this one memo, and it’s still somehow a slow day and…”

“And you wanted to eat with me?”

“Yes, please. If you’re not too busy and—and that’s fine with you.”

“Of course.”

Maureen threw her jacket on over her sweater, and they made their way downstairs.

“Actually, it’s been a while since I’ve had lunch with anyone. Usually I just grab something from the cafe and keep working,” Maureen explained.

“Anything good at the cafe?”

“Decent espresso and some really good sweet potato fries.”

“Oh, I love sweet potato fries.”

It was sunny and warm for the season, so they drank their coffee outside, sharing the fries on the table between them.

“I actually really needed this today,” Maureen confessed.

“How come?”

“Right before you came, my boss was in my office. I’ve been working on some simulations, getting pretty far on them, and at the last minute he needs me to rework them with different energy requirements. Needs them by the weekend to prove something to his bosses, but won’t tell me what.”

“I could go right now and give him a personal visit from the Secretary of State as incentive to read you in.”

Maureen laughed and shook her head.

“As satisfying as that sounds, it probably wouldn’t help much. That is the only thing envy about your position though. How much of the entire puzzle you get to see.”

Elizabeth shoved a fry in her mouth.

“Ha. Not as much as you think sometimes.”

“They leave you out of things?”

“Oh, constantly.”

Maureen swiveled towards her.

“That’s bullshit. You’re not only in charge of policies that affect the US, but that affect the globe too. How can they not include you?”

“Soon to be policies that affect space too,” Elizabeth jokingly pointed out. “But I, uh, hate it too.”

Maureen stared the view of parking lots and trees. “I know it’s a security thing. But I also wonder if it’s a gender thing as well. How much of it is intentional and how much it’s ‘we didn’t think to include you because you didn’t go golfing with us last weekend’…”

Elizabeth took a deep breath of the crisp air, as Maureen continued to think out loud.

“Maureen, are we friends?”

She seemed caught off guard.

“I hope so. Isn’t this what friends do?”

“I just mean I feel like I can trust you,” Elizabeth clarified.

“I build rockets that send people into space. I hope I’m trustworthy.”

Elizabeth wanted to laugh at that but only managed a forced chuckle.

“I hear what you’re saying,” she told Maureen, “I _so_ hear it. That’s why I want to be in charge. I want the whole picture. I’m going to run for President.”

Only Henry had heard her say those words so far. The kids were going to hear about it tonight, and she was going to tell Conrad and Russell in the coming week, so she supposed Maureen was her test run. She watched her, could see the very sharp wheels turning behind her eyes.

“Wow.” Maureen said.

“What are you thinking?”

Maureen was silent, as she took a drink of her coffee.

“I’m just thinking…the kids are going to _love_ game night at the White House.”

Relief flooded over Elizabeth. Everyone had told her she should run, and for the longest time she believed she was capable, but just _choosing_ not to pursue it. But now that she started wanting it, wanting more than she’d ever wanted anything, she felt unworthy, like the ambition would ruin her.

But something as simple as that—as game nights at the White House—reminded her that she was still her. A better, more experienced her than the ex-spy Conrad had picked to be his Secretary of State, but still herself.

“If I could pick anyone to help us navigate the uncertain planet we live on, it would be you,” Maureen said.

“Well, if we all end up in a colony on Mars,” Elizabeth suggested, “I’d definitely want you in charge.”

That evening, as she fell asleep with Henry’s arm around her waist, Elizabeth dreamt of stars, castles of white, and sweet potato fries.


End file.
